Apple introduced the “Liquid Glass” UI in iOS 26 with claims that it would offer clarity, depth, and a sleeker experience across the system. Widgets became more tactile, backgrounds grew translucent, and system cards picked up extra curvature. According to official notes, the aim was to create a fresh look that feels modern on every iPhone.
Reddit users, however, are finding little to love. BurgerKhaega called out “Extreme invisibility of texts in Widgets. Either third party or Apple’s own widgets when in clear and tinted modes.” They also wrote, “Photos app is greyed out in both Clear and Tinted Modes,” and described the visuals by saying, “Dark theme feels like [a] cheap Redmi device with a fake iOS theme installed.” They add, “Lags in every transition” and observe, “Occupies more system space,” pointing out that for some, update sizes are “14GB,” while for others (especially recent devices), the update is roughly 7-8 GB.
Speed, battery, and app experience
Apple pitched iOS 26 as not only visually smarter but also faster and more efficient on newer iPhones. The new frameworks behind widgets, notifications, and animations were supposed to make daily tasks feel smoother.
Instead, complaints about lag, battery drain, and hiccups appeared almost immediately. User toothpeeler said: “Have you observed how the keyboard can occasionally become misaligned, causing the right padding to nearly vanish? iOS 26 has some significant issues with its user interface design.” Senthusiast5 noted that the charging indicator in widgets is “hard to see. Battery percentage feels off after the update.” time-will-waste-you remarked, “They’ve chosen to undo all the consistency in their design… Why introduce various border radii when they could have maintained the simplicity of the previous design?”
Performance remains a key issue, with several users echoing the original post’s complaint: “Lags in every transition.” There are also real reports about the software occupying “more system space” and core apps feeling less responsive. Battery drain and overheating surfaced repeatedly after release, with users reporting their phones running noticeably warmer and battery percentages dropping quickly even with minimal use. For many on Reddit, the verdict is clear: Apple’s big visual update may look good on demo videos but falls short in everyday use. Long-time iPhone fans are asking for clear text, faster performance, and the crisp feel that first drew them to Apple in the first place. Many hope that an update will address these issues in the coming weeks.
Such complaints are clockwork and follow every new iOS release. Sometimes, it’s just users getting used to a new design language. Usually, they come around! And maybe, Liquid Glass will get the same treatment too.
